Managing the Workforce Impact in a Government Transformation

The Government of Canada Experience to date

Margaret Van Amelsvoort-ThomsExecutive Director, Office of the Chief HR Officer

Government of CanadaApril 4, 2013

Overview

• Overview of the Government of Canada’s Budget 2012 announcement

• Managing the Workforce Impact of Budget 2012 – What worked well

• Managing the Workforce Impact of Budget 2012 – Opportunities for improvement

• Success Factors

Leading up to Budget 2012 Announcement

• Budget 2012 - expected to transform government operations and impact the existing workforce.

• Strong indication that significant program and workforce changes were imminent:– Comprehensive assessment of government program spending– Administrative Services Review– New service delivery models applied (Shared Services, consolidation)– Operating budget freeze (coming from Budget 2010)

• Details unclear. “Pre-planning” efforts had to begin and had to leverage an integrated approach that focused on:– Enhancing communications between central agencies and

departments.– Gathering recent, relevant and reliable data.– Enhancing collaboration across Government.– Reaching out and working with key stakeholders (i.e. Unions)

Budget 2012 Announcement

• Transforming government operations with emphasis on reducing program expenditures to enable a more productive, efficient, and responsive Government. Achieving this transformation will be done through:– Refocusing government and programs. – Making it easier for Canadians and businesses to deal

with their government. – Modernizing and reducing the back office (HR, Finance, IT).

• Expected Outcomes (announced in Budget 2012):1. Balanced budgets by 2015/162. Achieve ongoing savings of 6.9% in program spending

(2011/12 baseline)

• Efforts to begin in April 2012.

Workforce Impact Resulting from Budget 2012 Announcement

• As of March 2012, there were 278,092 Federal Public Servants serving more than 35 million Canadians

• Announced that the Canadian Public Service workforce would be impacted:– Reduced by 19,200 or 4.8 per cent by 2014/15.

• 12,000 positions affected, the remainder (7,200) will be eliminated by attrition

• Of those 19,200 positions, 600 are executive positions. This represents 7.4 per cent of the Executive population.

• People Management Governance – Department Heads have the authority to make decisions about their own workforce planning and management based on their organization’s mandate.

Managing the Workforce Impact of Budget 2012 – What Worked Well

• What worked well in managing the workforce impacts resulting from the transformation:

Pre announcement of Budget 20121. Established key principles for an integrated approach early on:

– Evidence-based, comprehensive approach – Enterprise-wide coherence– Collaboration and mutual support– Fair and transparent decision-making

2. Governance– CHRO met with departmental leaders weekly– Collaboration across Central Agencies– Nimble, able to respond quickly

Managing the Workforce Impact of Budget 2012 – What Worked Well

(cont.)3. Promoted planning and understanding of current and future

organizational needs4. Ongoing Communications

– Constant info sharing with Senior Officials– Hosted info sessions for key internal players (HR, Managers,

Executives)5. Importance of reliable data

− Know your inflows/outflows− Share the data with leaders / decision-makers

6. Advice directly to front-line Managers− Handbook for Managers

7. Alternate solutions− Redeployment or guaranteed reasonable job offer− Alternation / Job swapping

8. Union Engagement – up front and early on

Managing the Workforce Impact of Budget 2012 – What Worked Well

(cont.)Post-announcement of Budget 20129. Communications – a massive effort to get information to

line managers quickly (Budget announced March 29, 2012; workforce impacts began mid-April)

10. Recruitment continues – cannot stop bringing in talent11. “Crowdsourcing” – leveraging the community12. Innovation and Creativity

– Virtual Career Fair to enable continuous employment– Alternation Forum

Managing the Workforce Impact of Budget 2012 – Opportunities for

Improvement

• What could we have done better in managing the workforce impacts resulting from the transformation:

1. Planning capacity is key to allow for informed decision-making

2. Maintain up to date and accurate aggregate data3. Determine what you will need as key competencies for your

workforce of the future

Workforce Planning and Management: Success Factors

• Establish and communicate leadership/vision• Create and sustain integrated governance

o Strong partnerships between the Central Agencieso Enabling rather than directing departments

• Recent and relevant workforce data and information, available at the right time

• Integrated approach to resolve issues• HR and Management capacity to deliver• Innovation and creativity• Communications

o Multi-level, cascading and targeted

Questions?

Thank you!